This is the radio devotional for Friday, September 20, 2019. Thank you to KCNI for inviting the Custer County Ministerial Association to record devotions.
Let’s play.
Good morning. I’m Matt Fowler, pastor of Broken Bow United Methodist Church. This week, I’m exploring the life of faith through analogies with sports. After all, the case for youth sports, which my family and I participate in, is, in part, that sports are a way to build character and being a people of faith includes building our character in certain ways. Incidentally, I’m in the midst of a preaching series on baseball, which you can read by clicking on “Pastor Matt’s Blog” at the bottom of BBUMC.org. But today, let’s think about being coached.
Coaches often affirm a player for being coachable. When we say this, we mean that the player is receptive to the leadership, mentoring, guidance, and direction of the coach. It can also mean that the player has a humble spirit – that he or she isn’t self-centered – and, or, that the player has a team spirit – meaning that he or she can be directed to play for the good of the team, rather than personal accolades. And, being coachable means receiving a game plan from the coach and enacting it faithfully as a player.
Youth athletes are growing, learning the game, and developing their skills. Coaching and receiving coaching is extremely valuable at this stage. However, the presence of coaches for professional athletes suggests that coaching and coachability is always important. Being able to receive constructive criticism, follow instruction, and respond to guidance with growth are important in many areas of our lives – professionally, relationally, and spiritually.
Throughout the Gospel of John, Jesus speaks in ways that sound an awful lot like coaching: giving direction, outlining the game plan, and calling players to play.
In John 10, Jesus tells his disciples that he’s “the good shepherd” whose sheep know and follow him and his voice. In John 15, he tells them that he’s the vine and they (and we) are his branches, and that the only way to live into our purpose of fruit-bearing is to remain connected to him. Further, remaining in him and his love means, especially, loving others (Jn 15:12). He coaches. We’re coachable.
In John 13, Jesus washes his disciples’ feet and then sits down with them for a lesson saying, “Do you know what I’ve done for you? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you speak correctly, because I am. If I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you too must wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example: Just as I have done, you also must do” (Jn 13:12-15, CEB). In John 14, Jesus tells his disciples, “I assure you that whoever believes in me will do the works that I do. They will do even greater works than these…” (v.12). He gives the game plan, and calls his disciples to play into it.
But here’s the thing. If we extend the analogy to view ourselves as players on Jesus’ team, then we have to ask ourselves, “How coachable are we being today, or this season?” Do we have practices through which Jesus can coach us – like prayer, worship, and Bible study? Are we committed to relationships with others – friends, a small group, or a pastoral leader – in which we intentionally seek to receive accountability, feedback, and guidance through them as a means of Jesus’s grace? Have we received Jesus’ game plan, and the specifics of our role in it, but we’ve been reluctant to play into it?
May we kneel before the coach, receive our mission, and spring forth with boldness and joy to play into his game. In Christ’s name, let’s play.
Trying to Hear 